Satsangha means council of the wise, spiritual community, or the act of sitting with a teacher. I hope this blog is something of all three. Yoga Mama is self explanatory; it's me, and since you're reading, it's quite likely you,too. Don't leave your yoga on the mat; align body, mind, and spirit -- and bring your Whole Self to parenting. Find out more about me at www.lasarafirefox.com.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Yesterday someone on the group put a shout out for New Year's Resolutions. I got into the spirit of it and jotted some intentions down. I want to share them with you, and hope they might inspire you to do the same.

My Intentions for 2009:

to live into ease.to meet pleasure gently, right where it is - not try to chase it, or coerce it into coming to me.to make goals that stretch me, but don't tear or break anything.to find the level that is right in any moment, even if it means bringing it down a notch or two.to invest in love, because it always has a great roi.to breathe in gratitude, walk in gratitude, sleep in gratitude, sit in gratitude, plan in gratitude, dream in gratitude, play in gratitude, work in gratitude, relate in gratitude, love in gratitude, live in gratitude.

I call these intentions because they aren't exactly goals. They don't have a start date and an end date, but are a commitment to practice of my personal values and ideals.

In this, I remind myself that every day is new, and that every moment is an opportunity to create positive change.

If you take up this "challenge" and write out your own intentions for 2009, I invite you to send them to me, and I will share them out, anonymously or with full credit, in my next newsletter.

As part of my personal gratitude practice, I do a gratitude shout out on Twitter daily. Others have joined me in practicing gratitude, and we have all found the collective witnessing to be powerful.

Thank you for witnessing my intentions. I'd love to witness yours in return. Together we will build new worlds.

May the coming year be filled with joy, presence, ease, and abundance for us all. Here's to a grateful 2009!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Here they are! The December Carnival of Mommy Bloggers entries. Enjoy, and link back if you love it! I have two categories of submission, since some were holiday themed, and some not. So, first category first.

2. Earthy Yoga Mom brings us Green Giving - Make it a Sustainable Holiday! I'm not playing faves just because she has Yoga Mom in her title. This gift guide brought to us by Lauren Bellon is GREAT. (And, it relates to an earlier post in my blog, as you'll see if you read the comments section at her post. Great minds think alike!)

7. How to Piss Off a Modern Mother is brought to us by Susanna, the blogger behind AModernMother.com. She's a great writer, and I thoroughly enjoy her blog every time I take a minute to go and look. So, go and look!

8. Crunchy Green Mom brings us Working at Love, an insightful post on what love is worth, and how much work it might be. She let's you answer the question, what is love worth?

Saturday, December 13, 2008

In this issue: Article excerpt: Self-Care for the Holidays (and link to article in full) * Looking for a gift for your loved one? Check out this one! * Ecstatic Presence Empowerment: Light in the DarknessSelf-Care for the Holiday Season

The holidays are upon us.

No matter what your spiritual persuasion, you’re probably going to be finding time within this season of cold days and long nights to gather with family and friends, sit around the feast table, and celebrate some light in the darkness.

What a wonderful thing! But even so, the most joyful season still comes with holiday stress. And, between travel, shopping, parties, and family commitments, many of us don’t take very good care of ourselves in the midst of it all.

During the holidays, most of us eat more – and more poorly. We exercise less. We let our spiritual practices slip. I mean, who has time to meditate? There’s a sale on, and I still have gifts to buy! (Right?)

The result; physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.

In addition to the basic stressors listed above, the holidays are the loneliest time of the year for many. Depression rates increase in the darker months, and many people experience physical and psychological ills when faced with the prospect of gathering with family. (Ever heard of the Christmas Migraine? It’s a real thing.)

For a change, why not make a pre-New Year’s resolution? Dedicate yourself to defeating the stress and depression many of us associate with this time of year, before it even happens.

Remember your own self-care, and the rest will come easily; pleasure, enjoyment, and a healthful indulgence in the more lovely aspects of the season.

This highly personalized program includes three weekly, one-on-one, supportive phone coaching sessions. In addition to phone sessions, your loved one will be given easy to implement actions to complete that will deliver the change they seek.

While you're at it, how about a gift for you?Maybe you're the one in need of the Body, Mind, and Spirit Renewal program? At this affordable rate, there's no reason not to treat yourself to renewal.

Better yet, you and a loved one can achieve your goals together - and you'll get the second program fee at half price! Consider it my gift of health to you.

Buying for One, or Two? Second Program at Half Price!

Buying as a Gift? Gift note:

Ecstatic Presence Empowerment: Finding Light in the Darkness

The celebration of this season has roots in the timeless, hidden promise of light and warmth that lives within the dark. Even after the longest night of the year is over, winter still holds sway. But the light does begin its ascent to grandeur and glory in the eternal procession of seasons.

With eyes open to this bit of earth-based awareness, you’ll see representations of this ode to light reflected in whatever rituals are performed – be it the hanging of twinkling Christmas lights, the lighting of the Menorah, or the Mshumaa, or the burning of the Yule log.

Each one of these ceremonies bring us to the same moment of invocation of the return of the light, and gratitude for the flickering promise that lives in the kindling of the first spark.

Let this be a chance to invoke the light within as well. Whether you celebrate Solstice on December 20th - 21st, Hanukkah the 21st-29th, Christmas on the 25th, whether you are calling in the light of the Sun, or the light of Christ, conjure it inside of you.

Make time this season to commit to a new light within you! Light a candle and say a prayer. Light a host of candles with loved ones, and voice your dreams for the newly burgeoning light. Let each string of lights be a reminder to awaken to the potential of the coming year. Let each fire glowing in the hearth be a reminder of the power of a return to warmth and light.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Are you a mommy blogger? I'm the current host of the Carnival of Mommy Bloggers, started by A Modern Mother back in November.From A Modern Mother:

"This is how it works: every two weeks a different mommy blogger “hosts” the carnival. The blogger community submits their best post from the past month -- this could be your most popular post, something that has done well on StumbleUpon or Digg, or one that has loads of comments.

The rules are one post per blogger and it must be something written in the past four weeks.

The host blogger then compiles the carnival entry post from their pick of the top 25 (can be first 25 submitted, or best 25, but it needs to be capped it or it will get unwieldy).

The Carnival post links to the full articles, and all of the submitters in return publicize with a post that “The Best of the Mommy Bloggers Carnival is up” with a short write-up and link to the Carnival."

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About Me

LaSara Firefox Allen, MPNLP, is a game designer (www.GratitudeGames.com), author, educator, advocate, coach, and speaker. She helps her clients find balance in their lives, and alignment with personal and family-held values. She teaches and coaches internationally.
LaSara is mom to two amazing daughters, and wife to an outstanding man. Find out more at http://www.lasarafirefox.com.
And, check out LaSara's monthly Twitter Gratitude Gatherings: http://cli.gs/TGG2S.